March 20: Nowruz (2025)Chemical structure of zidovudine1724 Following the death of Pope InnocentXIII, a papal conclave convened in Rome to elect a new pope.1861 An earthquake occurred in the Argentine province of Mendoza, causing at least 6,000 deaths and destroying most of the buildings in the province's capital city.1922 The United States Navy commissioned its first aircraft carrier, USSLangley.1944 World WarII: U.S. Marines made a landing on Emirau Island in the Bismarck Archipelago to develop an airbase as part of Operation Cartwheel.1987 The antiretroviral drug zidovudine (chemical structure pictured) became the first treatment approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for HIV/AIDS.2014 Taliban militants killed nine civilians in a mass shooting at the Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan.Maud Menten (b.1879)Willie Brown (b.1934)Fernando Torres (b.1984)Christel Boom (d.2004)More anniversaries: March 19March 20March 21ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout